‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’ Jeremiah 29:11
I love this verse! But, before we dive into it and the passage that follows, let’s take a closer look at why this letter was written.
Jeremiah wrote this under the direction of the Holy Spirit to the exiles that Nebuchadnezzar had carried into Babylon. It tells them not to expect to return to Jerusalem quickly, encourages them to build houses, plant gardens, marry and give in marriage, and seek and pray for the prosperity of Babylon. They are also directed to give no heed to Babylon’s false prophets and diviners. They are to expect a return to Jerusalem at the end of seventy years. During this time, they are to seek the LORD heartily.
The exiles are in the refiner’s fire, but God speaking through the prophet Jeremiah encourages them. In verse twelve, He promises that when they call upon Him and come to Him and pray, He will hear them. In verse thirteen He promises if they seek Him with their whole heart, they will find Him. In verse fourteen, God provides a conditional convent. If they turn to him with their whole heart, He will restore their fortunes, gather them from all the nations and places He has driven them, and bring them back to Jerusalem. However, before He restores them, they will still be in the refiner’s fire for seventy years.
What is important to note is that the LORD has not punished these exiles. Instead, He has placed them into a position that will encourage them to turn to Him and intimately walk with Him for the next seventy years. Since this destroys my first impression about verse eleven (that God will erase the trial that I am facing), I asked myself what help is given for those who are in the midst of the refiner’s fire?
The answer is found in the book of Isaiah (written fifty-one years before the book of Jeremiah). In Isaiah, chapter forty-one, verse ten, we read, “‘Do not fear, for I am with you, Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’(NASB).” This verse does not promise we will not go through turmoil in our life. Instead, it provides four promises. 1) The LORD will be with us, 2) The LORD will strengthen us, 3) The LORD will surely help us, and 3) He will uphold us with His righteous hand. It also tells us not to fear or be anxious.
This is not some arbitrary god that I hope will be with me in my trials and difficultly. This is the God who knows all the blackness within my soul and still promises to walk with me through my trials. Isaiah 43:2-3a reads, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; (NASB).” What an awesome God!